Queensland police officers involved in weekend fatal shooting weren't equipped with latest taser model
Police were called to a North Ward street on Saturday morning to reports a man was armed with a machete and a knife.
It's alleged the man advanced towards officers while armed.
After what the union has described as a "failed taser deployment", three officers fired multiple shots into the man's chest and legs.
Authorities said he was provided immediate medical assistance but died at the scene.
More than $47 million in funding was allocated in the state government's most recent budget for the purchase of 6,500 new taser models, known as Taser 10s.
But Premier David Crisafulli said the officers in Townsville did not yet have the new equipment.
"The first thing we did in our first budget was to fund the rollout of the Taser 10s that police have been crying (out) for, for a few years," Mr Crisafulli said.
"It gives the officers the protection they need, but it also helps save the life of individuals as well, it works both ways.
The former Labor government committed funding for 1,000 of the updated tasers last year after a trial in 2023.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) did not give an update on the progress of the rollout when contacted for comment.
Instead, a police spokesperson said officers were trained to use "ongoing threat assessment and communication strategies aimed at reducing the risk of harm to the community".
"Officer and community safety is paramount when police are responding to dangerous situations, with officers trained to conduct threat assessments to use the minimum force necessary to resolve an incident, with the focus on de-escalation of the situation," they said.
Queensland Police Union president Shane Prior said he understood the new tasers would be available across the state from 2026, and would be safer for officers.
"We're going to have the ability to stand at greater lengths, we're going to have more shots and better accuracy,' Mr Prior said.
"The Queensland Police Union advocated and has continued to advocate heavily for the complete rollout of Taser 10s, that's why at the last election we lobbied both Liberal and Labor party to commit to a full rollout."
'We are very appreciative of that ... but we have to acknowledge that the delay has and may very well cost lives in Queensland.'
Mr Prior said a taser was an essential piece of equipment for officers and he was looking forward to every single officer being equipped with one.
He said it was particularly important given the "increasing violence" police officers were facing on the frontline.
'Never has it been as dangerous as it is right now for police in Queensland," Mr Prior said.
QPS said the shooting would be investigated by the Ethical Standards Command, with oversight from the Crime and Corruption Commission.
That would include examination of the officers' body-cam footage as well as CCTV.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
28 minutes ago
- ABC News
How Bradley Murdoch's murder of Peter Falconio changed Central Australia forever
Twenty-four years ago, the murder of British backpacker Peter Falconio and assault of his girlfriend Joanne Lees sent shockwaves through the Central Australian community of Alice Springs and its surrounds. The mystery left locals wondering "how something so evil could happen" on their doorstep — and almost a quarter of a century on, the event continues to haunt this remote part of Australia. Convicted killed Bradley John Murdoch died last week, at the age of 67, while serving a life sentence in prison for fatally shooting 28-year-old Mr Falconio in an attack near Barrow Creek in July 2001. He never revealed the location of the backpacker's body, taking the secret to his grave. Murdoch was also convicted for assaulting and attempting to kidnap Mr Falconio's girlfriend Ms Lees, whose wrists he tied with cable ties before she managed to escape into bushland. Mr Falconio's family in the UK still holds out hope the backpacker's remains will be found, and a $500,000 reward for information that could lead police to answers is still active to encourage members of the public to come forward. Three hours south of Barrow Creek, the town of Alice Springs felt some of the strongest impacts in the aftermath of the crime that made headlines across Australia and the world. Robyn Lambley, the MLA for the Alice Springs electorate of Araluen and a long-term resident, said the cold case "changed us forever". "It had an instant impact of just horror — how could something so evil happen on our doorstep?" she said. Consumed by "a lot of panic and fear", she said the killing sent a "dark veil" over the unsuspecting community. "It changed our psyche — we went from being fairly innocent, I guess, to having some sort of psychopath commit this terrible crime just up the road from Alice Springs," Ms Lambley said. She said she was an avid bushwalker before hearing about the case, but afterwards, like many others, her outdoor jogs became weighed down by "this feeling that Peter Falconio could be buried just over there and you wouldn't even know it". Ms Lambley said Murdoch's death last week had only "sent more tremors" through the region, reopening the wound and serving as a reminder of "the terrible nature of things that can happen in the middle of nowhere". "The whole chapter … hasn't gone away," she said. Ms Lambley said, with the young couple visiting Australia at the time of the attack, "a sort of frenzied media" from both Australia and abroad had descended on Alice Springs in search of answers. Locals were caught up along with the rest of Australia, she said. "There was so much speculation around what happened, who actually did it, what part did poor Joanne Lees play in it." She said Barrow Creek locals were also dragged into the saga, called to give evidence due to their proximity to the crime. Speculation quickly fell onto Mr Falconio's girlfriend, who had escaped Murdoch and flagged down a truck driver for help, and Ms Lambley recalled her being "put under the microscope" because Ms Lees hadn't grieved how some believed a victim should. Ms Lambley said the fact it was "so difficult to find any sort of body in Central Australia", and that authorities believe Mr Falconio's remains could be anywhere between Alice Springs and Broome, had only fuelled speculation. Former NT parks ranger Shane Bloomfield met Ms Lees on a 2003 tour around Alice Springs Telegraph Station, when he taught her about the region's history. He said at first he did not know who she was, but after learning she was back in the area as part of Murdoch's trial, he told her it was a privilege to meet her and that he was sorry for her loss. "It was very hard to pinpoint any sort of feeling or understanding of who this person was — she had sort of grown this rockstar status overnight — but then the feeling in Alice Springs, the territory in general, was just this eerie sort of feeling," he said. "I didn't really feel she was enjoying her time there … it just looked like she wanted to get in, do what she had to do, and get out of the place." Mr Bloomfield said he guessed the British tourist was consumed by the unknown, having lost "someone special to her". An NT Supreme Court jury found Murdoch guilty in 2005, with enough evidence to convict him beyond reasonable doubt, and Chief Justice Brian Martin sentenced him to life behind bars. Ms Lambley said the crime had put everyone in Alice Springs — locals and tourists alike — "on alert" in the years following Mr Falconio's death. Mr Bloomfield reflected on his own experience camping on a swag at Barrow Creek a year before the murder, and said he couldn't believe he'd been so trusting in the open outback. He said locals locked their doors, people on the road resolved to never pull over for anyone, businesses suffered a drop in customers, and the region was clouded by a surreal sense of "unknowing". He said Alice Springs, the town where "everyone knows everyone", was left with a lingering sense of eeriness. Mr Bloomfield doesn't think the remote town will ever totally return to normal, but hopes it will bounce back eventually. Tourism Central Australia chief executive Danial Rochford said the news of Mr Falconio's murder had "sent a chill through the whole of outback Australia", stretching into western Queensland where he'd been working at the time. He recalled the mass media coverage across television and radio, with rumours about Murdoch's whereabouts heightening concerns on his side of the border. After a vehicle breakdown during a trip to Mount Isa with colleagues, he remembered being suspicious of the first car that approached the group — a LandCruiser with a canopy, similar to the vehicle police were looking for at the time. "That was kind of the sense that a lot of people had in outback Australia at the time, [that] there was a killer on the loose — 'Where are they and who could they be?'" Mr Rochford said. He said backpackers became fearful of travelling in the outback, resulting in a decline in overseas tourists hitting the road in Central Australia for the next few years. Even now, visitors still ask Mr Rochford about the Falconio case and travellers continue to stop on the side of the Stuart Highway to pay respects to the cross marking the spot where he died. Mr Rochford said the attack had polarised the nation in 2001, but the immediate scare was followed by an outpouring of love for the victims. "Our hearts are with the family … The tourism impact is completely insignificant compared to the other impacts," he said. "Ultimately, we've grown stronger. We're starting to see that international drive market rebound, [though] it's taken a good decade or so."
ABC News
28 minutes ago
- ABC News
Farmer Joseph Dare banned from owning cattle after animal cruelty case
A Victorian dairy farmer and former livestock agent has been banned from owning cattle for 10 years, after being convicted and fined $75,000 for extensive animal cruelty offences. Joseph William Dare, 33, pleaded guilty in Colac Magistrates Court on Monday to 72 charges of animal cruelty and neglect. Mr Dare is a Western District dairy farmer and a well-known local footballer who was drafted to the Carlton AFL Football Club in 2009. The court heard detailed and graphic accounts of cattle that suffered or died on Mr Dare's farm between July 2022 and January 2024. Prosecutor Scott Ward said officers from Agriculture Victoria visited Mr Dare's property in Dreeite multiple times over 19 months. He told the court they found cows, calves and bulls that were dead or slowly dying of emaciation, disease and dehydration. A total of 170 animals were found dead and 45 had to be euthanased. The court heard that during the visits, officers discovered a bull that was so sick and skinny it could not get off the ground and a cow and calf that died alone during a difficult calving. Mr Ward said officers also reported that "some cows [were] considered walking skeletons and still had calves suckling from them". In August 2023, a black heifer was found with a bullet wound to its head, but it was still alive, after a "failed" attempt at euthanasia by Mr Dare. Mr Dare was charged under Victoria's Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986. Magistrate Franz Holzer described Mr Dare's farm as "animal killing fields". "He got animals that were unwell and then neglected them even further … that's just shameful, shameful," Magistrate Holzer said. He said the $75,000 fine imposed on Mr Dare was the "highest" compared to other recent cases. "I've been doing this job for a long time, including in regional Victoria, and this is one of the worst examples of animal neglect and cruelty that I have seen," Magistrate Holzer said. As well as the fine, Mr Holzer banned him from owning or being in charge of cattle for 10 years. In that time, an authorised government department inspector will monitor Mr Dare. In sentencing, Magistrate Holzer said Mr Dare's background and experience should have meant he understood how to look after animals. "It's such a significant departure of the standards expected," he said. Mr Dare's defence barrister, Gregory Lascaris told the court that caring for the cattle became "too much" for his client. He said it was a "perfect storm" for Mr Dare, who was recovering from injuries sustained in a truck crash, as well as dealing with a drop in livestock prices and challenging weather. He acknowledged that these issues did not excuse the deaths of the cattle or the state they were in and said Mr Dare accepted responsibility. Agriculture Victoria's animal health and welfare compliance manager Daniel Bode said he was pleased with the outcome, particularly the ban. "The accused has demonstrated he was not a fit and proper person to care for cattle, and this order goes about preventing any further cruelty," he said. Mr Bode said the case had been extremely difficult and harrowing for the Agriculture Victoria officers involved. "There's nothing more confronting than having to see this sort of stuff repeated," he said. "The result today gives a level of comfort to our staff that this person will not be responsible for any further cruelty in the preceding 10 years."
ABC News
28 minutes ago
- ABC News
Gareth Ward's defence says police probe flawed, 'potentially dishonest'
Gareth Ward's defence has accused police of a flawed and biased investigation, telling the jury the sexual assault allegations against the MP are inconsistent, unreliable and never happened. The independent Kiama MP and former Liberal minister is facing five criminal charges, including sexual intercourse without consent and indecent assault, over allegations made by two men involving separate incidents in 2013 and 2015. Mr Ward strenuously denies the claims. The younger complainant alleges two incidents, including an unwanted back massage, occurred at Gareth Ward's Meroo Meadow home in 2013, when he was 18 years old. The second complainant, a former political staffer who was 24 at the time, alleges Mr Ward sexually assaulted him at the MP's Potts Point apartment after an event at NSW Parliament House. Following nine weeks of evidence led by the Crown, the defence today finalised its closing address. Mr Ward's barrister, David Campbell, told the jury the police investigation led by former Detective Senior Constable Cameron Bignell had "selectively and potentially dishonestly cherry-picked what he wished to investigate". He described Mr Bignell as a "miscreant" for ignoring directions from a colleague to seek parliamentary access and phone records. The defence urged the jury to view with scepticism a 2021 police walk-through — filmed on a body-worn camera, showing the older complainant's walk from outside NSW Parliament House to Mr Ward's Potts Point apartment. Mr Campbell questioned why it was recorded years after the alleged assault in 2015. He also highlighted the older complainant's shifting account, including uncertainty around dates and the route into the apartment, and said misdescribed details of the bedroom's interior undermined his reliability. Mr Campbell told the jury the older complainant's conduct after the alleged incident was inconsistent with his claim of trauma. He said that behaviour included maintaining friendly contact with Mr Ward and, later, sending the MP a job application, in which he wrote: "Your friendship means the world to me and my respect for you is already as high as it can be." Mr Campbell said it was "a rather astonishing application for employment" from someone who claimed to have been "sexually violated". The defence told the jury the alleged assault did not happen and suggested the complainant was likely asleep on a couch at Parliament House, not at Mr Ward's Potts Point apartment as he claimed. In the case of the younger complainant, Mr Campbell argued his version of events had undergone a "massive reconstruction" over the years. He said the man's memory was unreliable and reshaped by time, and the use of alcohol and other substances. The defence said the alleged back massage described by the complainant was not inherently sexual and did not amount to assault. Mr Campbell told the jury the man had continued a long-term social relationship with Mr Ward. The defence also said that when faced with such serious allegations, Mr Ward expressly denied it by entering a plea of not guilty. "After all these years, and in the absence of any additional material, what more could he say?" Mr Campbell asked. "He could only say, it did not happen." Mr Campbell concluded by arguing that the Crown had failed to discharge the burden of proof on any count. "Accordingly, Mr Ward should be found not guilty on each count in the indictment." An expanded panel of 13 jurors was empanelled at the start of the trial to account for its expected length, but only 12 will decide the outcome. Before deliberations begin, a ballot will be held to determine which juror will be excluded. The judge has begun giving her directions to the jury and has told them they can expect to retire to consider their verdict tomorrow.
